Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a protector for a portion of an animal's head. For example, the protector may cover a dog's ears after surgery or injury so that the ears will be shielded from the environment and the dog's own actions, such as shaking, kicking, or scratching, and will heal more quickly than if left uncovered. The protector may also or instead be used to protect a dog's ears from ear-bites by other dogs, for example, at a dog park or a kennel. The protector may also or instead be used to protect a dog's ears from injury, for example, during times of confinement in a kennel or cage where a hematoma or other damage may occur during rubbing or impact against the bars or other structure of such a kennel/cage. Alternatively, the protector may also or instead be used as a preventative device, to keep cheat-grass, fox-tail, seeds, burs, ticks or other arachnids, or insects away from the ears or other portions of the head of the animal. Dog owners, hunters, veterinarians, kennel operators, joggers, outsdoorsmen/women, and others who care for dogs or other animals, may benefit from using the device on a dog or other animal as a protective and/or preventative device.
Related Art
Veterinarians typically provide devices to dog owners, after surgery or injury on or in the vicinity of the dog's ears, to discourage the dog from pawing or kicking the affected or injured area(s). These devices are typically a “doughnut-shaped” pillow or blown-up ring, which is installed around the dog's neck and is so large that the dog cannot kick around the doughnut device to reach the affected or injured area. Such a doughnut-shaped device has an outer diameter that is a multiple of the diameter of the dog's neck, and, hence, can be quite annoying or uncomfortable for the dog, especially when the dog wishes to lie down or sleep. Another common device provided after surgery or injury is the Elizabethan collar, the so-called “cone of shame”, that is installed around the dog's neck, and flares outward and forward far beyond the dog's head. Again, such a “cone” has an outer diameter that is a multiple of the diameter of the dog's neck and is annoying and/or uncomfortable. Because of the annoyance or discomfort, many dogs will typically try to remove the doughnut or cone, and, even if they do not succeed, it becomes a troublesome and worrying problem for the dog and the owner.
Neither of these commonly-used devices is very effective, and especially is not effective in limiting or preventing ear “flapping” such as is caused by shaking of the head, for example. Thus, such devices have limited utility, and can cause slow-healing and/or re-injury of the ear flaps. Neither of these devices is an effective preventative device for keeping cheat-grass, fox-tail, seeds, burs, ticks or other arachnids, or insects away from the ears or other portions of the head of the animal.
Smaller and less obtrusive protective devices have been used, but also have limited utility and effectiveness. For example, stocking-caps have been used on dogs, with the hope that the hat will cover and cushion the affect or injured ear(s) and that the dog will cooperate by wearing the hat. Also, cloth or knit tubes or wraps have been stretched and/or otherwise installed over the dog's head, by pulling the tube rearward over the dog's face, or simply wrapping a fabric strip around the dog's head, to cover the ear area. Such attempts typically result in the dog quickly pawing the hat, tube, or wrap off of his neck and head. A few swipes of a paw will typically knock off the hat, or roll up the tube or wrap, to the point where it falls off in the forward direction or rolls rearward off of the ears.
In the patent literature, several devices may be seen for covering or controlling an animal's ears. For example, Olvera U.S. Pat. No. 4,221,189 discloses a cup and frame system for newly-cropped dog ears. Barnes U.S. Pat. No. 6,314,961 discloses a strap and frame system for new-cropped dog ears. As the purpose of such devices is to encourage the remaining ear portion to extend upright, such devices extend several inches above the dog's head and support the remaining ear portions. Carmean, et al. Publication No. 2009/0178628 discloses a compressive head-band for placement around the dog's head, in a similar manner as described above for the cloth or knit tube. The compressive force of the Carmean head-band may be used to hold the ear back, away from the ear canal. Deutscher, et al.'s U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,215 discloses a cover for an animal's head, with eye-holes for placement around the animal's eyes, wherein the cover extends all the way from near the nose to the shoulders. Mann's U.S. Pat. No. 7,946,256 discloses a cover to protect the ears from cheat-grass, with an inner shell having ear-slits into and through which the dog's ears are placed, and an outer shell that lays over the inner shell covering the ears as they protrude through the inner shell.
The inventor is not aware of any prior art dog ear protective coverings that are effective, safe, easy-to-install, comfortable for a dog during installation, and comfortable for the dog to wear over extended periods of time, including lying down and sleeping. The inventor is not aware of any prior art economical and effective device for limiting or preventing “ear flapping” that is so problematic for injured or healing ears. The present invention meets multiple or all of these needs.